The present exemplary embodiment relates to a rapid deployment and retraction telescoping mast system. It finds particular application in conjunction with telescoping masts relating to police, fire fighting, rescue, security, military, and communication industries, and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that the present exemplary embodiment is also amenable to other like applications.
Telescoping mast systems can be operated in a variety of ways. It is common in the art to operate telescoping mast systems automatically by hydraulic or pneumatic actuation whereby a series of tubes are expanded to a desired height from a nested position by pressurized fluid or gas. In this instance, the mast is in communication with a compressor and/or a pressurized tank to provide pressurized fluid or gas to a series of cylindrical tubes. However, it is also known to operate the extension and retraction of a mast by mechanical means comprising a series of cables, ropes, winches or pulleys.
The body of the mast includes a series of tubes that typically comprise cylindrical shaped bodies, each having a generally hollow interior wherein each cylinder is interconnected with a passage for communication therethrough. Each tube generally has a flanged lip radially disposed away from a central axis at a bottom end and a flanged lip radially disposed toward the axis at a top end. The tubes concentrically engage one another wherein the exterior tube has a width greater than a first intermediate tube disposed therein. The first intermediate tube having a greater width than a second intermediate tube disposed therein and so on. This arrangement can comprise any number of tubes wherein the pinnacle of the mast includes a top tube having a width that is smaller than any other tube in the mast. The top tube is attached to the load intended to be deployed and/or retracted.
The plurality of tubes comprises a pressurized envelope that is typically achieved with a gasket or sleeve disposed between each tube. The sleeve can be made of an elostomeric or rubber type compound and maintains a seal between each tube while also allowing movement without pressure seepage. The tubes are deployed to a desired height and can be secured in place by maintaining the pressure within the mast.
Retraction of the mast is generally achieved by allowing gravitational forces to return the tubes and associate load to a nested position. This requires pressure to be vented from the envelope which is a function of the gravitational pull, the friction between the sleeves and tubes and the weight of the mast and load. The speed of this retraction is dependent on the payload weight and the surrounding environmental conditions.
Retractable poles and masts have been fabricated mostly from aluminum, with a few devices made of fiberglass. Such prior designs are typically bulky and may use complicated networks of pressurized air, cables, and pulleys to extend or collapse the poles, resulting in a time-consuming operation each time the apparatus is to be extended or retracted.
Pneumatic telescoping mast systems are typically retracted by opening an air release valve and allowing gravity to return the tubes and payload to the nested position. The speed of this retraction is dependent on the payload weight and the surrounding environmental conditions.
However, retraction of such a pole by its own weight necessitates the use of a pole with sufficient weight to accomplish such retraction in an efficient manner. Depending on the application, this variable retraction speed can pose risk to an associate operator and overall efficiency of the system. Therefore, it is desirable to have a rapid deployment and retraction mast to allow the operator the ability to quickly deploy and retract the mast in a consistent and repeatable fashion. There remains a need for a device and method for a controlled extendable and retractable telescoping mast which may be both quickly extended and retracted.